BOSTON, Mass. – The visiting Bridgewater State University women's soccer team dropped a 3-1 decision to non-conference foe UMass Boston on Tuesday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center Field.
Senior Krista Ledin (Bridgewater, Mass.) became the 30th woman in NCAA history to reach the 100-goal milestone early on and freshman Marina Kelly (Whitman, Mass.) added two late goals to lead the host Beacons (9-4-5).
BSU junior forward Mackenzie Hatfield (Whitman, Mass.) notched her team-leading 13th goal of the season and 30th of her career in the setback for the Bears (6-10). Hatfield became just the fifth player in program history to reach the 30-goal milestone.
Ledin became the first Beacon and first Little East Conference player to reach the 100-goal mark at 6:22 of the first half. She received a pass from classmate Brittany Castillo (Yarmouth, Mass.) and slipped through two defenders, before sending a high toe-touch shot into the top-left corner for her 19th goal of the season.
Senior goalie Dani Perkins (Murrieta, Calif.) posted six saves on seven shots in the victory for the Beacons, while junior netminder Kristen Reardon (Weymouth, Mass.) made 12 saves between the pipes for the visitors.
UMass Boston dominated in shots, 34-12, while holding a slim 6-5 edge in corner kicks.
After Ledin's milestone tally, UMass Boston made it 2-0 just five minutes into the second half, when freshman Hannah Petersen (Plymouth, Mass.) found Kelly in the box. Petersen sent a long throw-in to the top of the 18 where Kelly shrugged off a defender and beat the BSU netminder with a shot just inside the far post.
The Beacons nearly tacked on an all-important third goal moments later, but Elisa Brook's (San Diego, Calif.) header was cleared off the line by Bridgewater senior midfielder Kaitlin Delaney (Centerville, Mass.), after it had slipped by a diving Reardon.
Hatfield cut the Beacons' lead in half at 71:51, when the junior corralled a high cross into the box from senior midfielder Lauren Bandoian (Medford, Mass.), and sent a hard bouncer just past Perkins into the far netting.
UMass Boston tallied a big insurance goal in the 80th minute as Ledin slipped a pass to an on-rushing Kelly in the box and the freshman one-timed a shot under the cross bar for the 3-1 lead.
UMass Boston will close out the regular season Saturday at 1pm at Rhode Island College. Bridgewater State also wraps up regular season play on Saturday afternoon (2:30) when the Bears head to Salem State University for a key MASCAC tilt with the Vikings. A win over Salem would give BSU the #4 seed in the upcoming MASCAC Tournament and a first round home game.